RE: Super Continent
January 13, 2018 at 1:28 am
(This post was last modified: January 13, 2018 at 1:35 am by Anomalocaris.)
(January 13, 2018 at 12:46 am)LostLocke Wrote: Problem:
If Earth were shrunk to get the continents to fit together, it would be a bit bigger than 50% of its current size. At that stage, the surface gravity would be strong enough to crush any living thing on Earth, and also make Earth's crust denser than any material currently on this planet.
If the earth were crushed to half its present size it would instantly spring back to its current size. It’s composition and mass is simply incompatible to it being half of its current size.
Pangaea has nothing to do with the earth being smaller or flatter. Pangaea happened on an earth exactly the same size as now and of exactly the same shape. Its just the current continent were all at different locations such that they were all connected.
As it is now, over 50% of the earth’s continental mass - Africa, Europe and Asia are structurally connected. If the structural connection between Africa and Asia seem tenuous just wait 20 million years. In 20 million years Africa will close up the Mediterranean and Europe will bellyflop into North Africa. One could make a case we have a supercontinent right now in the form of Africa and EuroAsia, and in 20 million years Africa will weld itself to Eurasia as tightly as Europe is now welded to Asia.
